Q. I read the Point to Ponder in your Spring Brain Bulletin. I can relate to the writer who said, “This cannot be correct. I never wanted to be overweight.” Everyone in my family is obese (“fat” as some put it so rudely), so there’s really nothing I can do about it except to develop a mindset that “big is beautiful.”

Q. My husband’s hearing is deteriorating and yet he refuses to even be evaluated for a hearing aid. His point seems to be, “I can hear as much as I want or need to hear.” Is there anything I can tell him to encourage him to at least explore assistive hearing devices?

Q. I’ve been following a "Longevity Lifestyle" for several months and have done very well. I seem to have plateaued, however, and someone told me to stop drinking diet sodas. That's one of the choices I've hung onto because I really don't want the extra sugar found in regular sodas. Any comments?

Q. I read your comments in the last Brain Bulletin about wine and supposed benefits to the heart. But what about the brain? Doesn’t wine or other mild alcoholic drinks help the brain to relax? I mean loads of people drink in moderation.

Q. I have followed several "health programs" on and off and all of them emphasize two things: aerobic exercise and dieting or calorie restriction. The Longevity Lifestyle Matters program doesn't seem to emphasise those two areas and I'd like to know the reason.

Q. I usually pack on extra pounds around the holidays and then spend the next few months trying to divest myself of them, just to do it all over again when the next holiday rolls around. Are those pounds all that bad for my health and, if so, how can I change that?

Q. I’m enjoying creating and maintaining a Longevity Lifestyle. Wish I’d done it sooner but it is what it is . . . The other day I heard about the “MIND” diet. Mediterranean something or other. Is this something I should be doing?

Q. I love your new book, Longevity Lifestyle Matters, coauthored with Briggs and Horton. It's all stories, much like your Chronicles series and Adventure series. It's so much easier to remember ideas from a story. What prompted you to use a story format?

Q.We are creating a Longevity Lifestyle and moving toward a more plant-based Mediterranean-style cuisine but I must say that dried "beans" are creating some undesirable side effects. Any idea of how to reduce them?